Way back in the fall of 2010, about 3 weeks before my 25 birthday, I came across the idea of a 25@25 list. The idea was to create a bucket list of sorts, of 25 things I wanted to accomplish at the age of 25. Seeing as I only had a year to complete these things they needed to be realistically achievable time wise and financially. (Catching a Mahi Mahi couldn't be on this list, even though it is a big dream of mine) I thought about goals I had, both big and small, easy and hard, and came up with a list that I started working on on October 6, 2010.
I had 365 days to cross off 25 things. Ready. Set. Go.
here she is in all her glory. The official list.
the actual goals are in purple, (date completed) and comments in black
25@25
1. Learn to "let go & let God" (year long) This was a big one. It is one of those things that you never fully accomplish, but rather is a constant work in progress. I would say I have come a long way though and enjoy life much more thoroughly in all it's splendor after changing the way I live and view it. The Lord already has it all planned and by golly, usually his plan is 100 times better than anything you could ever imagine. I finally figured out the best way to live life was to do my best, live with God as a focal point, and sit back and let him do the rest. (The necklace was something I got to remind me of the importance of this way of living life and has the Bible verse Matthew 6:34 on the back. It is now my favorite item of jewelry besides my wedding rings and UT ring.
2. Complete my master's degree (8/5/11) This bad boy was totally worth the exhausting 14 months…
3. Start keeping a "journal" of some sort (6/28/11) Welcome to the world of blogging. :)
4. Learn how to make an old family recipe (12/31/11) Brett's grandma makes something called "new years" bread during the holidays every year and it is a tradition in his family to eat a loaf on new years day. It is delicious, especially with a little butter and browned on the stove. It is harder to make than you would think though. Everything is from scratch, you have to let it rise like 4 different times, and then bake it just so with egg whites on the top. Brett has been bugging me for years to do it and I finally did!
5. Become pregnant (5/17/11) Loving being pregnant too btw. :)
6. Finish hand sewing our Christmas stockings I haven't actually finished these yet, and have been working on them for over a year, but WILL before the 6th. These are the kind where you buy the stocking on felt pieces and then cut, sequin, hand embroider, and attach tiny piece by tiny piece. This is also a Haby family thing. Brett's mom made them for all her boys and Brett said it wasn't Christmas at our house without them so I though I would get it going for our family. Mine is done except for the name and Brett's is close… (I'll post pics when I do)
7. Have mermaid hair (8/1/11) Yeah, I know you have probably never heard of this term but basically it is the only way I could describe how long I wanted my hair to grow. Have you ever seen those pictures of mermaids where they are topless but decent because their hair is long enough to cover it? Bingo. My hair grows really slow and is fairly thin, so this took forever even with a head start. I never had long hair though, even as a kid, so it was a cool thing to accomplish.
8. Make at least 3 home improvements (9/5/11) We are big do-it yourselfers and I love to decorate so this one was fun. We did way more than 3 improvements, some big and some small, including but not limited to - new ceiling fans in the living room, hardwood floors in the main living area and hallway, painting and installing a new ceiling fan in Tucker's nursery, painting an accent wall in the living room, and redoing the nook leading into the master bedroom.
9. Vacation outside of Texas (6/17/11) Arkansas for our anniversary trip.
10. Find a church (9/4/11) Brett is from a traditional conservative Catholic church family and I have been exposed to many different styles and even taught Sunday school. We tried out a bunch and either they didn't feel right or one of us didn't like something about the service. But, thanks to an awesome recommendation we are loving Northrock so far. :)
11. Quit biting my nails (June 2011) Awful and gross habit which is why it was so important to break…
12. Learn Brett's "love language" and strive to "speak" it (constant) If you have never read the 5 love language, you totally should. It makes so much sense and so helps your spouse get it too. ;) Brett's love language is quality time and mine is words of affirmation.
13. Donate to a worthy cause (8/12/11) Chopped 10 inches off my "mermaid hair" for Locks of Love.
14. Get a massage I have never had a REAL massage. I'm working on convincing Brett I need a good prenatal before my birthday since it is on my list, but if that doesn't work, technically I had a 15 minute massage the morning of my brother-in-laws wedding that could count.
15. Learn how to sew something new (several times) Man my sewing machine has been getting a workout! I made this sparkly cape for a grad school video/ future librarian job and also spent 6 hours on Tucker's bedskirt. Neither of which I had a pattern for. :)
16. Take my vitamins daily (constant) This was easy since I started taking prenatal way back in October of last year to get ready to get pregnant. But, I used to be really bad about it. I think it really is true that if you do something for more than 30 days it becomes habit because I have no desire to bite my nails at all anymore and can't stand if I go out of town and forget my vitamins.
17. Go to a wine tasting (10/9/10) The music and wine festival in Gruene was the perfect way to spend last year's birthday weekend. My aunt, mom, and friend Karen helped me accomplish this one. :)
18. Create new centers/ activities for my classroom (constant) I created oodles! :)
19. Send at least 5 people heartfelt and handwritten letters I've got one more to write and want to send it to my cooperating teacher from my last semester at UT. She played such a role in who I am today as an educator and I can not thank her enough for all that she taught me about teaching and myself that semester.
20. Create unique crosses (constant) I did a whole post on this experience a few months ago. :)
21. Go to a "big deal" baseball game (6/12/11) We got to see Texas win the super regional on their path to Omaha. Hook 'Em!
22. Purchase and learn how to use an e-reader (6/15/11) I love to read and actually used to get in trouble for trying to read at the dinner table when I was a kid. However, I was not a fan of e-readers when they first came out because I love the smell and feel of a real paper book. But, now that I have my nook, I LOVE it! :)
23. Reread all 7 Harry Potters and see the movies Still haven't finished this one either. I have reread all the books, but still have to see movies 6 and both parts of 7. But, by no fault of mine, part 2 of 7 won't be out until November… I'm still gonna count it since reading the books was the main thing.
24. Cut back soda to special occasions only (constant) I used to drink a Diet Coke a day. Now I have a soda about once every few weeks. All about breaking a habit again... Vitamin water and La Croix helped me kick this one.
25. Pull off a surprise party (5/25/11) I think my in-laws had a pretty awesome 30th anniversary. They were definitely surprised! (You can see the excitement in their faces) :)
Loved this list.
Loved what I learned as I worked towards the goals.
Loved the changes I've made.
So, I've got 4 things to finish up and 10 days to do it. Better get on it...
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